Twine cutter



June so, 1931. R, BEAVER 1,812,462

TWINE CUTTER Filed Aug. 22, 1927 INVE RUDOLPH BEHvE/e zwamwi w- PatentedJune 30, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I RUDOLPH BEAVER, OFWATER-TOWN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO GILLETTE SAFETY RAZOR COMPANY, OFBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE TWINE CUTTERApplication filed August 22, 1927. Serial No. 214,651.

This invention relates to twine cutters having replaceable blades andadapted for use on store counters or similar places for the purpose ofcutting the twine used in tying up bundles and for other purposes.

My invention contemplates the provision of a cutter of this characterwhich is particularly effective in operation, a mere touch acting tosever the twine instantly. Its features of mechanical construction arealso of importance. It comprises a number of assembled parts, each beingsimple and cheap to manufacture in itself and which may be assembledrigidly and compactly without the use of tools. The construction issuch, moreover, that the cutter may be easily taken apart to permitreplacing a used blade by a new sharp blade, while at the same time theparts are retained securely against accidental disengagement from theirassembled condition.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood andappreciated I from the following description of a preferred embodimentthereof selected for purposes of illustration and-shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which;

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the cutter,

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation,

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are views in perspective on a larger scale of thecomponent parts of the cutter and v Fig. 6 is a sectional view on astill larger scale of the member shown in Fig. 4 taken on line 6-6-6.

The twine cutter herein shown comprises three separate parts, a back orblade holding member 1, a front or clamping plate member 2 and the blade3. The blade holding member may be a sheet steel stamping and issubstantially U-shaped, having a recess 7 with a straight bottom edge 8,and a curved top edge 9. This member is bent or flanged on a line 4 andthe flange is provided with apertures 6 by which the cutter may befastened to a counter, desk, leather band on the users wrist or othersupport by means of screws or rivets. The clamping plate or front member2 may also be a steel sheet stamping and is provided with a recess 10 ofthe same size and shape as the recess 7' in the web of the holdingmember 2, so that when these parts are assembled in coextensive relationthe recesses register with each other.

The blade 3 herein shown has a curved cutting edge 21, a straight backedge 20 and a locating aperture 11.

The parts of the cutter are held in assembled interlocked condition bytwo studs 13 and 14 which project from the blade holding member 1 andextend outwardly a distance slightly greater than the combined thicknessof the clamping plate 2 and blade I 3. These studs are provided withenlarged heads 15 and 16. The clamping plate 2 is provided with a slot17 extending inwardly from its rear edge and its upper arm 18 isprovided with a keyhole slot 19, the circular portion of which isslightly larger than the head 15. The member 1 is also provided with ashort pin 12 extending outwardly not more than the thickness of theblade 3.

In assembling the parts of the cutter the blade is placed in position onthe pin 12 with 7 its back edge 20 resting on the flanged portion 5 ofthe blade holding member 1. The clamping plate 2 is then threaded overthe stud 13 with its straight lower edge resting upon the upper face ofthe flange 5 and the slot 17 in line with the stud 14. If then themember 2 is moved to the right, as seen in the drawings, by pressure ortapping, the shanks of the studs will be received in the slots 17 and 19with their enlarged heads engaging the surface of the clamping plate 2and maintaining all the parts in rigid compact interlocking engagement.

In order to retain the parts of the cutter a ainst accidentaldisplacement a portion 0 one of the members may be bent to form aresilient lock. As herein shown the left end of the upper arm 18 of theplate 2 is bent slightly outwardly from the plane of the plate. As willbe seen, the bent plate must be slightly sprung in assembling the partsso that a resilient pressure will be exerted on the head of the studs.

An additional or alternative locking effect may be secured if necessaryby tapering 10a a portion of the locking plate 2 adjacent to the slot 17and making the stud 14 slightly shorter than the full thickness of thelocking plate 2 and blade 3. Such a tapering portion is indicated inFigs. 4: and 6 by the reference character 22. It will be seen that thisexerts a wedging action when the clamping plate is forced into itsassembled position.

In order to facilitate disassembling the ill be carried forwardly andthe studs disengaged from their respective slots.

As already noted the" cutting edge .21 of the blade 3 is curved and solocatedas to be exposed in the registering recesses 7 and 10 of theclamping members. The upper edge 9 of the recess 7 is also curved .on anare such that the opening between it and the cutting edge 21 of theblade tapers from the open end of'the recess inwardly toa point at whichthe edge 9 intersects the cutting edge 21. As herein shown'the taperofthe opening progressively decreases from the mouth of the recess andthis is accomplished by making the radius of curvature of the edge 9 ofthe recess 7 less than the radius of curvature .of the cutting edge 21.It is this feature of the construction which makes the cutterparticularly efiective when the twine is introduced into the throat. V

- While I have described the twine cutter of my invention as adapted forgeneral use, I am not aware that a twine cutter has ever been used on awrist strap. This is a purpose for which the construction hereindisclosed is particularly adapted. The back or blade holding member 1 isaccordingly shown in Fig. 3 as riveted to abroad curved plate 23 bywhich it is maintained securely in upright position; The plate 28.isrprovided with parallel slots fora wrist band each slot having teeth24 at one edge adapted to enter the band and hold the cutter againsttransverse displacement.

Having now described the preferred em.- bodiment of my invention, Iclaim 1. A twine cutter comprising a fixed member, a movable member, anintermediate blade, said fixed member having means for attachment to asupport, and stud'and-slot connections for retaining the members inassembled relation, a portion of one member being bent away fromthe'plane of the other member at a point adjacent to one, of the studsto provide for a resilient pressure against the head of that studtending to prevent the parts from accidental disening va'headed studadjacent to the loop of the U and another stud adjacent-"to one end 'ofits arms, a slot extending inwardly from the end of the other membercoacting with the first stud .anda keyhole slot with the other, and ablade adapted to be held between the members position to cut materialwhich is passed transversely into theregistering recesses, the forwardvend of the cutting edge of the blade being below the lower arms ofthe'U-shaped members, and the rearrend of the edge being above the upperarms at the inner end oft-he recesses. I Y

3. A twine cutter comprising co-extensive interlocking members, onehaving a flange at its base to support the cutter as a Wholeand.

the other having an edge shaped to engage said flange, .and a.replaceable blade adapted to be held between them in edge engagementwith the flange, said interlocking members and blade being assembled inparallel relation, but one member being initially bent to provide aresilient .lock in the assembled cutter. V V

4:. A twine-cutter comprising amember having an angularly disposed baseflange for supporting the cutter as a whole, a clamping member arrangedto slide longitudinally of the .cutter in a path determined by itsengagement with the base flange,and

clamping means associated with said mem-' bers arranged to engage whenthe clamping member is thus moved upon the base flange.

5. A twine cutter comprising a transversely forked blade-holding memberhaving at its base an out-turnedfiange'for supporting said member inupright position, the flange having-a plane upper blade-positioningface, a blade provided with a fiat back and a curved sharpened edgearranged to project above the lower fork of the blade-holding member swhen the back of the blade is supported by the face of .said flange, anda blade-clamping plate shaped forinterlocking engagement with theblade-holding member and edge engagement with said flange.

Signed at Boston, Massachusetts, this nineteenthday of August, 1927. i

RUDOLPH BEAVER.

gagement, the members being. so designed I

